Parasol Dairy Permit Approved

June 8, 2010 - Santa Fe: In an unexpected and dangerous reversal of Environment Department decisions, the New Mexico Water Quality Control Commission (WQCC) approved the discharge permit for the proposed 2,000 head ParaSol Dairy in Sierra County. The WQCC is the State’s highest administrative water quality authority.

Despite passionate public opposition spearheaded by the Rio Grande Chapter, after denying ParaSol’s first permit application in 2008, the Environment Department’s Groundwater Quality Bureau was instructed by the WQCC to consider a revised application for the proposed dairy. This application was also opposed by a full house of local residents and local Chapter members as well as the Elephant Butte Irrigation District (EBID) and the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR). Again, the Environment Department Secretary, Ron Curry, denied the revised permit in 2009. Using their last administrative option ParaSol demanded the WQCC conduct a Records Review of both hearings and rule on the application. The WQCC met in executive session for several hours and relied on legal advice from the Attorney General’s Office that seemed to ignore critical testimony from the two hearings and favored ParaSol’s position.

No ground has been broken on this project and its anticipated that at least some of the stakeholders who oppose it will ask the courts to decide on the validity of this decision.

Meanwhile, the WQCC is holding another 6-8 days of hearings (after 4 days in May) on new dairy discharge regulations.